Theodore r



' (No Model.)

TLB. BBTZBL. BUTTON` BooK.

' n INI/Enron UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE R. BETZEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BUTTON-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,334, dated October 22, 1889. I

Application tiled February 16, 1889. Serial No. 300,153. (No model.)

To, all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, THEoDoRE R. BETZEL, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, in the county and State4 of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in button-hooks in which a wire shaped into a loop operates in conjunction with a piece of metal or wire so arranged as to slide to and fro on the shank of the hook formed by the wire; and the objects of my improvements are, first, to relieve the button-hole of some of the strain brought to bear upon its end when an ordinary button-hook is used; second, to aord facilities to bring the buttonhole into closer proximity to the corresponding button, and, third, to get full control of the button before the button-hook is made to describe the customary circle, by means of which the button is forced into the buttonhole, all of which tends to preserve the shape of the button-hole and prevents tearing of material'around the button and button-hole.

The invention is especially adapted to gloves.

I attain these objects in the followingmanner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. j

Figure l is a top view of the button-hook complete. Fig. 2 is a side view, and Fig. 3 a bottom view.

Similar letters refer to similar parts.

A piece of wire is bent into a loop, the end of the loop forming the hook bj The sides form the shank a to the hook, and the other end is closed in the form of a ring The hook h is deiected downward, Fig. 2, sufficiently to allow the top of any button that may be hooked to remain beneath the tongue d of slide c, as shown in Fig. 2, (the slide c hav.

ing been moved forward on shank a to hook b.) The slide c consists of a piece of metal or wire bent into such a shape 4that it will slide to and-fro on the shank a. On the end of the slide c which points to the end :t of

the shank a a piece of the material of which the slide is made, e, Figs. l and 2, is curved up so as to afford a purchase when it is desired to move the slide to and fro on the shank a. On the other end of slide c, which points toward the hook b, there are two flanges ff j and a tongue ol. The iianges f f are set at right angles with the shank a and ride on top ofthe shank a. slide c projects out from the flanges ff to-V ward the hook b and runs parallel with the wires forming the shank d. The point of the tongue CZ is sufficiently deected downward to bring it below the top of the wires forining the shank a, so that when the buttonhook is inserted into a button-hole and the hook b (with the deiection of said hook downward) is placed over the corresponding button and pressure is brought to bear onto the slide c from end x of the shanka, toward the hook b, the tongue d on the slide c will enter the button-hole and project on the other side. The han ges f f on the slide c, projecting beyond the sides of the shank a at right angles, will catch the button-hole on the sides, and as the slide c moves toward the hook b the-side on which the button-hole is of the article to be buttoned will be brought together in a direct line with the side on which the button is fastened, thus distributing the strain bn the end of the button-hole toward the sides thereof, doing away with a great deal of the side strain to 'which button-holes are subjected by the use of the button-hook at present in vogue, and bringing the buttonhole into close proximity to the corresponding button. the shank a toward the hook b the tongue d, which projects through the buttonLhole, will ride onto the top of the button held by the deflected hook b, and place the button, as it were, into a clutch between the hook b and the tongue ol.

The veryfrequent occurrence of the button catching in a fold on the side of the buttonhole and tearing the material when the ordinary button-hook is made to describe the customary circle is by the above device entirely.

done away with, the tongue. d making it impossible for the button to catch in a fold.

I claim as my invention- The tongue d on thev On moving the slide c forward on- In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- 1o scribed my name this 15th day of February A. D. 1839.

THEOD ORE R. BETZEL.

Witnesses:

DANL. W. EDGECOMB, CAROLINE E. DAVIDSON. 

